Pickle Ice Cream
by that is secret
Summary: A pregnant Kagome has midnight cravings, and decides to go for a bit of ice cream.


A/N: I really have to thank Akira Ikaeda here - a bit of a fic she sent me inspired me on the "pregnant Kagome" path, and I also blame the oddly flavored ice cream on her. ^^ You had to talk about Filipino ice cream. . . *drools at the idea of kiwi ice cream* Anyways, thanks. ;-)  
  
"Pickle Ice Cream"  
Kagome silently slipped out from under the sheets. The moonlight through the window illuminated her path. She turned and looked fondly at the half-demon sleeping in the bed. His silver hair shone, making him look like some ethereal being from heaven. She smiled and walked out the bedroom door, holding the sight in her mind.   
  
She made her way down the stairs carefully, supporting her back with her hand. The child inside her made it ache, and this time was no exception. It felt like the child grew larger every day. Perhaps it did; Kagome had little knowledge of demon pregnancies, let alone hanyou ones.   
  
She sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, rubbing her back. It was darker in the kitchen than in the bedroom, and she had trouble seeing. She got up and shuffled over to the light switch. The room was soon enveloped in harsh electric light; Kagome blinked. After her eyes adjusted, she started the mission she had come to do.   
  
Kagome searched through the freezer until she found her object: ice cream. The baby seemed to like ice cream - no surprise, considering Inuyasha's unabashed love for the stuff. In fact, the baby seemed to crave ice cream; how else could she explain these unexplicable midnight missions to the kitchen? She grabbed a bowl and a spoon and began to ladle out the ice cream.  
  
Within seconds she was digging into a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It melted on her tongue, chilling the roof of her mouth at the same time. This time, though, something was off. The ice cream didn't taste right.   
  
Kagome carefully checked the carton. No, the date was fine; it wasn't apt to spoil for. . . well, that was quite a bit of time; who ever knew that ice cream kept for so long? The freezer was fine, and it wasn't as if the ice cream tasted bad. It was just. . .  
  
Too bland.   
  
Kagome slowly stood up again, careful not to wrench her back at all. She opened the refrigerator door, looking for something to add to the ice cream. She ruled out chocolate syrup; the child was oddly adverse to chocolate. She didn't need morning sickness on top of her already-aching spine. She wasn't in the mood for strawberries, and she'd never liked nuts on ice cream.   
  
Suddenly, her eyes caught a jar in the back of the fridge. Maybe. . . just maybe. . . she pulled it out and looked at it. Satisfied, she closed the door. Yes, this would do.   
  
Kagome got the blender out of a cupboard and plugged it in. She shuffled over the table, grabbed her bowl, and shuffled back over to the blender. She scooped the ice cream into the blender. Then, she added her secret ingredient: one bright, shiny, tasty-looking dill pickle. She put the top on the blender and switched it on.  
  
The pickle began to stream throughout the ice cream, giving it an odd greenish-yellow tinge. Normally, Kagome would have been disgusted at the sight and wouldn't have even dreamed of eating it. But, for the past seven months, her life had been quite unnormal, and she was salivating while she waited.   
  
She finally deemed the ice cream thoroughly mixed and poured it into the bowl. The mixture slopped out. She stirred it and then brought a spoonful to her mouth.  
  
Ah. Perfect.  
  
While she ate, Kagome's mind wandered back upstairs, to where Inuyasha lay asleep. The last year had been such a blur - she and Inuyasha's changing relationship, and now their unborn child. . . and the friction with her family. That had been difficult. It didn't matter if, according to demon law, Kagome and Inuyasha were mated; according to her mother, Kagome was in deep, boiling water. It had taken a full three months before they were even allowed inside the Higurashi residence, let alone allowed to stay there.   
  
Kagome was pleased that things seem to be patching themselves up. Souta was perfectly normal, and while her mother was cold to Inuyasha, she hadn't said anything in weeks. Surprisingly, Jii-san hadn't been disapproving at all; if anything, he seemed to be the happiest for her.   
  
She scooped another mouthful of ice cream up, smiling as it touched her tongue. It was an odd combination of flavors, but she'd always been drawn to strange things. Kagome twirled the spoon in her mouth, still lost in thought.   
  
"Kagome?"   
  
Kagome turned around quickly, startled. A bleary-eyed Inuyasha, bare-chested and with mussed hair, stood in the doorway. Kagome smiled at him.   
  
"What are you doing down here?" he asked. "I woke up to some whirring noise and you were gone." He walked over and stood behind her chair, hand resting on her shoulder.   
  
"The baby's hungry," she said. "So I decided to give it some ice cream."  
  
Inuyasha sniffed. "That doesn't smell like normal ice cream." He leaned over her and sniffed again. "What the hell did you *do* to it?"  
  
"Put it in the blender with a pickle."   
  
"That's disgusting."  
  
"But it tastes good."   
  
Inuyasha sighed and covered the end of his twitching nose. When the twitch had stopped, he sighed again. He leaned over and put his arms around her.   
  
"I will never understand women."   
  
"Don't worry, neither will I." She leaned her cheek against his and closed her eyes. His arms were comforting and strong, and she could almost feel herself dozing off.   
  
"Come on, let's go back to bed." Inuyasha helped her up. With his arms around her waist, they began to walk up the stairs. Kagome twisted her hand in his long hair, wrapping the strands around her fingers.   
  
"Kagome?" Another voice startled them. Kagome turned to the side and saw her mother in her nightgown. "What are you doing up?"   
  
Kagome smiled. "Just restless. I had ice cream cravings."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Complete with pickles."  
  
Kagome saw a small smile spread across her mother's face. "Pickle ice cream? I used to make the same thing when I was pregnant with you, Kagome."   
  
"Really? That's odd." Kagome tilted her head. "Don't tell me the baby hated chocolate."  
  
"If I had chocolate while I was pregnant with you, I woke up sicker than a dead dog."   
  
Inuyasha shuddered at the thought, and Kagome laughed and squeezed his arm. "It must be inherited, Mom."   
  
"Must be. Now go to sleep and rest." Her mother turned and walked back down the hallway.   
  
They walked back to Kagome's room, the moonlight still illuminating the entire space. Inuyasha sat down on the bed, holding his arms out to Kagome. She sat on his lap, hugging him, and his head rested on hers.   
  
"Next time you have midnight cravings, wake me up or leave a note or something, okay? I was worried."   
  
She tightened her hold him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."   
  
She could feel him smile against her hair. "It's fine." He moved backwards and stretched out along the bed. She lay down next to him, still entwined in his arms. She had Inuyasha and their baby, and even her mother seemed to be less angry with her. All in all a good night, she mused, even if the pickle ice cream had indeed tasted odd.  
  
It had hit the spot. 


End file.
